Rock Springs Run

I took advantage of one of the longest days of the year, daylight wise, by paddling the Wekiva River and Rock Springs Run tonight, June 23, 2009, after work. I got off at 4:30, came home, got the yak on the car, and launched at 6:00 PM. Rain on the Interstate, but it stopped before I got to Wekiwa Springs State Park. Cooled things off a bit. Mentioned that to a Park worker, who said, "but the mosquitoes are bad". No problem, as I had bug spray. So I thought. I left it at home.

These photos, and the alligator, were seen just after I began, in a three minute span.

Great blue, green, tri colored heron and great egret. Once on Rock Springs Run, wildlife was sparse. A cormorant, a couple cardinals. Unseen owls who-whooing. Plenty of mosquitoes. I paddled fast to create some wind with my paddle. My last RSR paddle, midday on a Sunday, I did not expect to see deer. Of course, I saw five. Today, dusk approaching, surely I'd see deer. None. Perhaps they sensed the oncoming storm.

I paddled past Otter Camp, going as far as an open area, where deer hang out, just down stream of Indian Mound Camp. I turned around at 7:15. The rain began shortly thereafter. Very hard for a while. I got thoroughly soaked. The worst was in a wooded section, so I had some protection. It let up in the open, marshy section, and eventually stopped. Even some blue sky, here back at the confluence of Rock Springs Run and the Wekiva River. Saw another alligator as I made the 15 minute paddle up the Wekiva.

The great blue heron was waiting for me when I returned to the launch area.

Still enough light to take a picture at 8:25. Maybe if it weren't cloudy I would not have needed a flash.

I left the Park at 9:00, 30 minutes past closing time. I can do this because I have an after hours pass. Which was free. I haven't mentioned the pass before, wanting to keep it something of a secret. But, starting July 1, the State is imposing a whooping fee increase. Annual passes go from

$40.00 to $60.00. I found out about it on June 16. At that time, I sent this message to the Department of Environmental Protection.

"a modest fee increase"With all due respect, did you fail math, English, or both?A fifty percent increase in the cost of an annual pass, from $40.00 to $60.00 is not "modest", mathematically or grammatically.Was any consideration given to a two tier fee system?. One price for Floridians, a higher price for visitors ?

I have not received a response.

It gets worse. A fellow paddler, the one who told me about the after hours option, sent me this link.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/information/docs/DayUseEntranceFees.pdf

The after hours pass will now be $25.00. So the price as more than doubled, $40 to $85.

My annual pass lasts through October. I need to crunch the numbers and see if I should get a new pass on June 30, at the old $40.00 price. I'm sure I'll write about it on Dave's Yak Tales.